Impeach Bush Impeach Bush
Search this Site


 “An evil exists that threatens every man, woman, and child of this great nation. We must take steps to insure our domestic security and protect our homeland." 
- Adolph Hitler

The Four Reasons
News Archives

Cost of the War in Iraq
(JavaScript Error)



"I believe that if those calling for war knew their children were more likely to be required to serve—and to be placed in harm's way—there would be more caution and a greater willingness to work with the international community in dealing with Iraq,"          
 -Rep Charles Rangel (D- NY)
* * * * *
“From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce a new product in August,”   
White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card told The New York Times about why the Bush administration was waiting on its PR offensive about the possibility of war until after Labor Day - 2002
* * * * *

"Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in "mission creep," and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find Noriega in Panama, which we knew intimately. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under the circumstances, there was no viable "exit strategy" we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different — and perhaps barren — outcome."
George H.W. Bush: A World Transformed (1998)
Impeach Bush - The Four Reasons    |     home



12/31
T4R wishes everyone the courage necessary to take on the American Empire during this next Gregorian Hoax. Tell these NeoClowns you know who they are and what they have in store.
Impeach Bush Project for thNew American Century PNAC
of the USA (RAD Revised)
Two die as gunfire erupts during anti-federation protests in Kirkuk: It was not immediately clear who fired the shots. Hundreds of Arabs and Turkmen began protesting Wednesday morning to demand that Kirkuk remain under a central Iraqi government and not be incorporated into any proposed Kurdish area. "Kirkuk is an Iraqi city!" protesters shouted.
Pentagon prepares to open military trials of Guantanamo prisoners: The Pentagon has taken new steps in preparing for military trials of terrorist suspects held at a U.S. prison in Cuba, and the next major move will be the announcement of specific charges against one or more individuals detained as "enemy combatants."
Pilots opposed to armed flights: "To imagine that we're going to solve a terrorism problem by putting cowboys on board planes is to admit that we failed at all security measures on the ground," said Eric Lahon, of France's Alter pilot union.
Pentagon freezes Iraq funds amid corruption probes: The Pentagon has frozen new funds approved for Iraqi reconstruction amid growing allegations of corruption and cronyism associated with the rebuilding process.
Israel announces Golan expansion: Israel has unveiled a $60m plan to build homes for thousands of new settlers on the occupied Golan Heights. Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz says the population will rise by 50% over three years to strengthen Israel's grip on the land seized from Syria in 1967.
The Jewish Choice - Abulhawa: "With such unrepentant racism, a Jewish American high school student had reduced my entire family and the whole nation to which we belong, to 'war booty' .."
New Year, same old: The only positive thing that can be gleaned from these numbers is that the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army in 2003 was less than half the number for 2002.
The Reconstruction's Bottom-Line: The US-led reconstruction business in Iraq is faltering because it is less about reconstruction than about business
PNAC Memorandum to Opinion Leaders: I wanted to draw your attention to a bi-partisan letter recently sent to President Bush that is cited in a front-page USA Today article, "Push is on for Larger Military: Congress Moves After Years of Downsizing."
Organic Consumers Association: An excellent collection of articles on Mad Cow and Mad Human's Disease
World News
Bush World
$sessionid$U0WNAGBDSQVJJQFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2003/12/31/wcons31.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/12/31/ixnewstop.htmlHawks tell Bush how to win war on terror
Africa

Asia
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Australia
Europe
Mid East
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South/Central America


12/30
Blast in Baghdad kills one civilian as occupation troops detain six Iraqis: Iraqi resistance activists detonated a roadside bomb as a U.S. convoy drove by in central Baghdad on Tuesday morning, killing one Iraqi and wounding another, reports said.
SARS case confirmed: A suspected case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in southern Guangdong province has been upgraded to a confirmed case, a senior provincial health official says.
The Reconstruction's Bottom-Line: The US-led reconstruction business in Iraq is faltering because it is less about reconstruction than about business
Army Stops Many Soldiers From Quitting: Chief Warrant Officer Ronald Eagle, an expert on enemy targeting, served 20 years in the military -- 10 years of active duty in the Air Force, another 10 in the West Virginia National Guard. Then he decided enough was enough. He owned a promising new aircraft-maintenance business, and it needed his attention. His retirement date was set for last February.
U.S. Winds Down Biggest Post-War Afghan Operation: U.S.-led forces have ended their largest post-war operation in Afghanistan saying they have reduced the threat from militants during a key constitutional debate in Kabul. A U.S. military statement Tuesday made no mention of the deaths of 15 children in a series of botched raids around the start of "Operation Avalanche," in which 2,000 troops fanned out across southern and eastern provinces.
President Arafat Calls to Israeli Withdrawal from Palestinian Territories and Halt of Apartheid Wall
Palestinian Nation Mourns Ahmad Al Dajani's Death: On December 29, 2003 a great influential Palestinian intellectual and scholar passed away, after a life of achievements and contributions to the Palestinian cause and its people's struggles.Ahmad Al Dajani, the prominent Palestinian intellectual and one of the first founders of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), died yesterday night in his home in Egypt, after carrying the burdens of the Palestinian cause and defending it in various arenas.
Car bomb explodes in Saudi: A small bomb has exploded in a car in Riyadh but has caused no casualties or damages.
Syria was Iraq’s largest pre-war arms supplier: A Syrian firm run by the cousin of President Bashar Al-Assad signed more that 50 contracts to supply millions of dollars worth of military equipment to Iraq between 2000 and 2003, despite a United Nations (UN) ban on trade with the Arab state, revealed the LA Times.
Israeli forces re-invade Nablus as new figures reveal population in settlements on the increase: Early Tuesday, occupation troops moved into Nablus' Old City, forcing about 40,000 people to stay in their homes and keeping schoolchildren at home, the witnesses said, according to The AP. Troops forced residents out of their homes to conduct searches, they added.
World News
Bush World
Africa
Asia
Australia
Europe
Mid East
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South/Central America


12/29

Palestinians gunned down in Gaza: Three Palestinians were reportedly shot dead by Israeli occupation army fire overnight on Sunday near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in the Gaza Strip.
Karzai holds edge over constitution: President Hamid Karzai looks set to emerge the winner after two weeks of wrangling over Afghanistan´s new constitution, as delegates prepared last night to vote on a draft that endorses his preferred presidential form of government.
Khamenei tours Iran's earthquake devastation: Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has arrived in the earthquake-stricken city of Bam to inspect the damage and the ongoing rescue work. He toured the 2,000-year-old Bam citadel, which was flattened by the quake last Friday. Speaking from a square in the shattered city, he promised Bam would be rebuilt, stronger than before.
British clergy slam 'white vigilantes' Bush, Blair:  Their criticism, plus an embarrassing contradiction over weapons of mass destruction by the US administrator of Iraq at the weekend, comes at the end of a miserable year for Mr Blair, whose popularity has tumbled over the invasion of Iraq.
Iraqi Kurds should forego independence: The plight of Iraqi Kurds dates back to times much earlier than the era of the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein although his reign initiated some of the harshest episodes for the Kurds. But Saddam Hussein was not the only perpetrator. Boxed into a very critical geopolitical zone, the Kurds in Iraq have always fallen victim to brutal international relations games beyond their own concerns.
Terror alerts too broad, officials say: The administration "has been sparing in its use of this tool." But once the decision to raise the terror warning is made, Mr. Cox said, "we go to a higher state of alert everywhere, in all places in America, even though, no matter how general the threat, we can be certain that the country is not threatened in a homogenized way everywhere, the same way at all times."
Palestinian PM Ahmed Qurei’: “The Israeli military escalation will not be met by Palestinian pacification. “The brutal carnage committed by the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) in Rafah refugee camp and followed by preplanned assassination operation in Gaza city gives Palestinians the right to respond to such repressive military operations,” Qure’ told journalists.
Sharon prepares for 'road map' failure:  "We are talking about a new line of redeployment which includes the relocation of settlements and redeployment of army camps and installations in the eventuality that the road map fails," a senior source in Mr Sharon's office said.
Sudan peace deadline in doubt: The 20-year civil war has caused untold misery. The United States is pressing both sides to reach a deal by 31 December. The war, pitting the Christian and animist south against the mainly Muslim north, has left some 1.5m people dead.
Bush administration split over Chavez's links to rebels: Geopolitically, the region is not as important as Asia, but why not get rid of another democracy andal their natural resources. Conservation of energy states, "you must suffer for my prosperity." Perhpas their is another way!
KDP leader says 'Kurdish rights' must be part of power transfer agreement signed between coalition, Governing Council.
Deal over Pakistan power struggle: Pakistani legislators have agreed measures to end a protracted struggle with President Pervez Musharraf. Parliament has been paralysed by protest since General Musharraf assumed wide-ranging powers in 2002.
Bremer rejects Blair WMD claims: The American appointed administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, appears to have contradicted a statement about alleged Iraqi weapons programs by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The BBC reports that Paul Bremer has dismissed the claim as a red herring.
Iraqi Resistance Front to be Proclaimed Soon: After the arrest of Saddam resistance will intensify and unite even more, says Jabbar al Kubaysi Jabbar al Kubaysi is leader of the Iraqi Patriatic Alliance which strives to unify the Iraqi resistance movement into a common political National Resistance and Liberation Front.
Rafah Governor: Destruction An Unprecedented Earthquake”: At 3:00 am of Tuesday, December 23, a massive contingent of the Israeli occupying forces accompanied with 30 tanks, armored personnel carriers and several D-9 military bulldozers advanced deep from the military posts at the borderline with Egypt inside Rafah City, particularly Yebna refugee camp and Al Qassas area, under an aerial shield of combat helicopters and amidst a barrage of random fire at citizens' houses. The scene of the carnage had been shrouded in terror, blood, shreds of bodies, loud screams, shouts of women and children and remnants of demolished houses.
World News
Bush World
Africa
Asia
Australia
Europe
Mid East
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South/Central America
12/28
Baghdad Bombs Kill 2 GIs, 2 Children "US soldiers were on a mounted patrol and that's when the improvised explosive device detonated east of the Karrada district. It happened at 10:13am (local time)," said Corporal Todd Pruden of the First Armoured Division.
At least four killed after car bomb explodes near Kabul airport: "An explosion to the west of Kabul International Airport killed four people and burned the vehicle," Kabul deputy police chief Mutahullah Rahmani told AFP. "Two of the dead bodies have military uniforms and two others are wearing civilian clothes," he said.
Indigenous groups demand justice in claims against U.S. oil company: THE year now coming to a close has not led to the much-awaited prosperity and justice for Ecuadorans. Many of their expectations for better government were frustrated a few months after the assumption of power by Lucio Gutiérrez who, like the majority of previous presidents, prioritized structural adjustments to the detriment of the people's accumulated needs.
Crews search for survivors in Iran earthquake; official estimates 20,000 dead: Rescue officials say the death toll could reach 40,000. The destruction was so all-encompassing that a reliable death toll in the city of 80,000 was still unavailable. Most people were asleep when the earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey measured at magnitude 6.6, struck at 5:28 a.m. Friday.
China says it has a suspected SARS case in Guangdong province: China on Saturday announced its first suspected SARS case since July, saying the patient was hospitalized in the southern province where the virus is believed to have originated
Saddam Threatens to Expose US : "According to the European source close to US investigators, Saddam also said that he would ask the International Court of Justice in The Hague to try the US for its crimes against the Iraqi people."
Canada warns US on cow 'link': Officials in Canada say it is too early to confirm that a cow found with BSE, or mad cow disease as it is more commonly know, in the United States was imported from Canada.
The price of ignorance: Few Israelis are capable of imagining what life is like in Beit Furik: the almost universal unemployment, poverty, endless siege and humiliations of life inside a prison. A young man like Hanani, who was 21, had no reason to get up in the morning other than to face another day of joblessness and humiliation.
The day after the shooting of peace activists: A lot of fury, a lot of attention: This Saturday evening hundreds of furious -- many of them young -- demonstrators blocked the road in front of Tel Aviv's Defence Ministry for hours. Among them were also our veterans such as Uri Avnery and Teddy Katz, as well as Oren Medicks and Nimrod Kerrett, who both became very involved in the anti-Wall protest and the Masha camp.
IOF Extrajudicial Execution Policy at Large Again Against Palestinians: The latest Israeli extrajudicial execution of five Palestinian citizens and resistance activists last Thursday proved to the world that the Israeli government was not interested in any peaceful compromise or dialogue with the Palestinian side.
UN Security Council to weigh WMD ban in Middle East: The United Nations Security Council, at the request of Arab nations, will meet on Monday to discuss a Syrian draft resolution calling for the Middle East to rid itself of all nuclear, biological and chemical arms.
World News
Bush World
Africa
Asia
Australia
Europe
Mid East
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South America
Bolivia: Statement on


12/27
Bush bypasses Congress with recess appointments: President Bush went around Congress on Friday and installed 12 people to government panels after their nominations stalled in the Senate. The nominations had languished in the Senate for periods ranging from six weeks to 22 months.By approving them during the congressional recess, Bush bypassed the Senate confirmation process. Such appointments are valid until the next Congress takes office, in this case in January 2005.
Some 20 foreign troops killed, hurt in Iraq blasts: About 20 foreign soldiers were killed or wounded when blasts hit their bases and several government buildings in the Iraqi city of Kerbala on Saturday, a spokesman for Polish-led troops in the region said.
Leaks Probe Is Gathering Momentum: The Justice Department has added a fourth prosecutor to the team investigating the leak of an undercover CIA officer's identity, while the FBI has said a grand jury may be called to take testimony from administration officials, sources close to the case said.
Israel troops fire on peace rally: Israeli soldiers have opened fire on a demonstration in the West Bank, injuring two peace activists. The incident took place when about 100 protesters demonstrated near the Palestinian village of Mahase against the barrier Israel is constructing.
U.S. seeks Air France passengers who didn't show for flights: U.S. investigators were looking for a number of people on Friday who didn't show up at the Paris airport for booked flights to Los Angeles that were cancelled because of a perceived terrorist threat. An American official said one of those people was taking flying lessons, but hadn't been certified
Foreign aid workers reach Iran quake zone: Scores of foreign rescue workers began arriving in Iran, where a massive earthquake in the south-east of the country has killed at least 20,000 people and injured more than 50,000 others. (More)
Chief UN nuke inspector heads to Libya:The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said on Saturday Libya, which this month opened its nuclear facilities to international inspection, did not appear to have been close to building an atomic bomb.
Afghanistan´s grand assembly delegates were expected to vote on the country´s draft constitution as President Hamid Karzai insisted on a strong presidency to prevent a slide back into conflict.
Cuban anger at US over Guantanamo: Cuba has charged the United States with running a concentration camp at the Guantanamo base on the eastern tip of the island. This is the Cuban government's first attack on the use of the facility to hold men Washington has seized in its "war on terror". "In the territory illegally occupied by the Guantanamo naval base, hundreds of foreign prisoners are subjected to indescribable abuses," said a statement passed by parliament earlier this week and broadcast by the state-run media in Havana on Friday
Serbs set up inquiry into Srebrenica massacre: It was Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two. It is believed 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Serb forces.
A Time For Truth On DU: The health impacts of depleted uranium (DU) munitions on soldiers who served in the Iraq and the Persian Gulf Wars will be studied by Congress' General Accounting Office, according to two congressmen who have requested a new investigation into whether the Pentagon has ignored the medical consequences of the armaments.

Bush World
Africa
Asia
Afghanistan
Australia
Europe
Mid East
Iran 
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South/Central America



12/26
Four U.S. Soldiers Killed in Spate of Iraq Attacks: A roadside bomb killed one soldier and wounded another when it exploded by a convoy near Baquba, about 65 km north of Baghdad, early on Friday. A second soldier was killed the same day trying to defuse a bomb outside the town, a U.S. military spokesman said. Two other U.S. soldiers were killed in a mortar attack on a U.S. camp near Baquba on Thursday.
Quake Kills 20,000 in Ancient Iranian City:  A pre-dawn earthquake razed much of the ancient Silk Road city of Bam in Iran on Friday, killing more than 20,000 people and injuring tens of thousands more, government officials said.     About 70 per cent of the buildings in the historic city, a popular tourist spot some 1,000 km (600 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran, had collapsed and many residents were trapped under the rubble, state television said. "Rescue workers have found more bodies. The figure is now more than 20,000," a senior government official said. The quake at about 5:30 a.m. (9 p.m. EST Thursday) measured 6.3 on the Richter scale.
Moussa discusses with Zibari the Arab League role in Iraq: The secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, stressed that he has discussed with the Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiar Muhammad Zibari current conditions in Iraq, and the role that might be played by the AL in this country.
Israel seals West Bank and Gaza: Israel has imposed a total closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip after a suicide bomber killed four Israelis. The blast, near Tel Aviv, was the first Palestinian suicide bombing in Israel for more than two months.
Mantras of Mass Destruction: Someone wrote me and asked if I knew when the phrase ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ was first used. A little research produced UN Resolution 687 that demanded that Iraq destroy its WMDs following the Gulf War: "3 Apr 1991 Security Council resolution 687 (1991)
Ten missing after mudslide in US: Ten people are still missing and 14 others rescued after a mudslide, triggered by unusually heavy rains, hit a children's camp east of Los Angeles in California on Thursday local time, US authorities said.
Dollar Brushes Against Record Lows v Euro: The dollar was softer on Friday, brushing against recent record lows against the euro and probing two-week lows against the yen on persistent worries about geopolitical risks and a bulging U.S. current account deficit.
UN General Assembly approved resolutions on sovereignty of Golan resources: The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday approved a resolution that confirms the permanent Syrian Sovereignty on the natural resources in the occupied Golan, and the Palestinian sovereignty on their natural resources in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem.
World News
Bush World
Africa
Liberia: Rebels Bar UN Peacekeepers From Areas Under Their Control
Asia
Australia
Europe
Mid East
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South/Central America

12/25
US soldier killed as leaflets in Baghdad warn occupation forces, Iraqi collaborators: Iraqi resistance fighters launched at least 10 rockets and mortar shells towards targets in central Baghdad Thursday, as the American Army announced another US soldier was killed by a roadside bomb.
Musharraf escapes kill bid, 14 killed: Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has narrowly survived a second assassination bid this month. Suicide car bombers attacked his
motorcade on Thursday, killing at least 12 besides themselves.
Israeli troops kill Palestinian as Hamas urges Arab leaders to break silence regarding Israeli ''massacres'': Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian early Thursday near the settlement of Ganei Tal in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Hamas issued a statement noting that the "enemy forces" had inflicted vast destruction on the city’s buildings, sewage networks in addition to the water, electricity and telephone lines.
Arar case warrants caution: Prime Minister Paul Martin says he has seen nothing to suggest that Canadian officials acted improperly in the Maher Arar case and is leery of calling a public inquiry out of concern that it might damage national security.
Demonstration in Cairo calling for political reform: Some 100 members of the leaderships of the Egyptian opposition parties and civil society organizations gathered in al-Tahrir square in Cairo demanding the introduction of comprehensive political reforms.

World News
Bush World
jsessionid=Q4GN3UHRVK0LACRBAE0CFEY?type=topNews&storyID=4039373Rumsfeld: 'Bet Your Life' Threat to U.S. Is Serious
Africa
Asia
Australia

Europe
Mid East
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South/Central America
12/24      
Bombing attack, blasts kill three US troops, four Iraqis: A roadside bomb went off north of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing three US troops, the U.S. military said. "Three Task Force Ironhorse soldiers were killed when the vehicle they were in was struck by an improvised explosive device," the military said in a statement, according to The AP. The attack occurred at about 9 a.m. as the soldiers traveled in a convoy near Samarra, a town north of Baghdad.
US troops arrest dozens of Iraqi fighters as blasts rock Baghdad: Occupation soldiers arrested dozens of fighters including several associates of a former aide to ousted leader Saddam Hussein who is believed to have a leading role in Iraq's resistance.
Iraq debt talks 'must await new government': Saudi Arabia yesterday said it would not discuss any loan write-offs with Iraq's interim US-appointed government, which is facing a debt burden estimated at more than $100 billion.
Pentagon wants to close up to 25 percent of bases: Key among the Pentagon criteria was a recommitment to target bases that don't have multiple-force purposes. These bases include more than one branch of the military such as a Navy base that also has an Army, Marines or Air Force presence.
Israelis Rain Terror on Gaza:  The Israeli Army unleashed a rain of terror in southern Gaza yesterday, killing eight Palestinians in a revenge raid, hours after two Israeli officers died in a grenade attack in one of the bloodiest bouts of violence in months.
Israel’s WMD Arsenal: Colonel Qaddafi may not have intended it, but a further welcome development from his decision to end Libya’s weapons of mass destruction program has been to throw the spotlight on Israel’s own WMD arsenal.
Analysis: 'Hard slog' against Al-Qaeda: It is hard to believe now, but in the spring of 2003 people were asking whether al-Qaeda was on the ropes.
Afghan Leader Rules Out Sharing Power: President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday ruled out diluting the strong presidency he is seeking at a constitutional convention, shrugging off calls for broader power-sharing as Afghanistan tries to put more than two decades of fighting behind it.
Iranian DM delivers strong warning to Israel: Iran's Minister of Defense and the Armed Forces Logistics rear admiral Ali Shamkhani said on Wednesday said that Iran would give strong response if Israel ventures to attack Iranian nuclear installations.
Libya Confirms Baradei’s Visit ‘in Coming Days’: “Libya welcomes Mr. El-Baradei’s visit due to take place in the coming days,” Hassuna Shaush, a senior official at Libya’s Foreign Ministry, told AFP. “Mr. El-Baradei is to hold talks during his visit with (weapons) expert.
Hicks' lawyer slams FOI document block: The lawyer for Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks has criticised Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for opposing the release of documents detailing talks between Australia and the United States over the case.
Deadline runs out for Sept 11 fund: The deadline has now expired for families of those killed or injured in the September 11 attacks to claim compensation from a special United States Government fund.
It's greed, not ideology, that rules the White House: Why the US wants Iraq's debts cancelled - and Argentina's paid in full
World News
Bush World
Africa
Asia
Australia
Europe
Mid East
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South/Central America

12/23
Eight Palestinians, 2 Israeli soliders killed in Gaza:  At least eight Palestinians were killed by gunfire in an Israeli raid on a Gaza refugee camp Tuesday, hours after two Israeli soldiers died in a grenade attack. Palestinian witnesses said 40 tanks and armored vehicles entered the Rafah refugee camp on the Gaza-Egypt border. Hospital officials said three of the five Palestinians killed were civilians and 41 others were wounded.
Coalition to pay Iraqi security 'hazard' premium: Bremer says Iraqi Security Forces fighting 'terrorists' should be compensated for hazardous duties they perform.
Afghans sent home from Nauru allegedly killed: The Independent Member for Calare, Peter Andren, says he has received emails from refugee advocates suggesting between seven and 10 of a group sent back to Kabul on December 1 are now dead.
Mandate of UN's Israel-Syria disengagement force extended through next June:  The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping force established in 1974 to maintain the ceasefire between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
Peacekeepers will have to become pursuers, says top Canadian soldier:  The role of international troops in Afghanistan is about change from patrolling streets to hunting down insurgents, Canada's top soldier in the region says. "The bottom line is the security situation in the south is not good but in the rest of the country, it's certainly a hell of a lot better than it was."
World News
Bush World
Africa
Asia
Philippines: Who Is to Blame?
Mid East
Egypt
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South/Central America
12/22  
Three killed in Baghdad bombing: Two US soldiers and an Iraqi translator were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near a US military convoy in Baghdad today. Two other soldiers from the 1st Armoured Division were wounded in the attack, which took place at about 11.45am (0845 GMT), a US military spokesman said.
Iraq's Phantom 'Insurgents' - Fisk: "The American military still talk about their battle against 'terrorism' in Samarra, a story that might be more convincing if their troops were not accompanied in the city by hooded men in plain clothes carrying Kalashnikov rifles.."
The Courage to Listen: Women of Iraq Tour U.S.: Fifteen-thousand bombs have dropped on Iraq. Twelve years of brutal sanctions and two wars have killed 4 million Iraqi people. After the U.S. invasion of civilization’s cradle, Amal Al-Khedairy and Nermin Al-Mufti are on their U.S. tour. The objective: to build an international nexus between Iraqis and Americans.
Pro-wars weave a web of deceit around Saddam's spider hole: The end, capturing a tyrant, did not justify the means: thousands of dead Iraqis, writes Raimond Gaita.Why do so many people who supported the invasion of Iraq use the capture of Saddam Hussein as a stick with which to beat those who opposed it? Can anyone who thinks hard and seriously believe that his capture makes any difference to the most important of the arguments for or against the war? Stupid things were said by those who opposed and by those who supported the war, but no one who cares about what our participation in the war means for our national life will focus on them.
A very British coup: This was not achieved by military power, by invasion, by shredding inter national law, by enforced regime change or by large-scale bloodshed. Nor, in fact, despite Mr Bush's eagerness for plaudits, was it primarily achieved by his administration at all. It was achieved by discussion - by endless talk, mostly in London, latterly in Libya, and finally in a London gentlemen's club. Boring perhaps, but effective; and here, with shock and awe, is a lesson for the Pentagon to absorb. Here is a measure of the true worth of the diplomacy espoused by Mr Cook and others. It bore fruit in Iran last week, another country which Britain refuses to join the US in ostracising. It could yet produce results in Syria, another low-grade WMD state, and in North Korea, if only senior US officials would stop threatening them.
Elite Israeli Troops Refuse To Serve in the Territories: Thirteen reservists from Israel's elite military commando unit stated Sunday in a letter to the prime minister that they would no longer serve in the occupied territories, joining other influential security officials who have recently criticized Israeli military tactics and treatment of the Palestinians.
Israel warns Iran on N-weapons [again]: The Israeli defence minister, Shaul Mofaz, has warned Iran that Israel may take military action to destroy its nuclear capabilities. Speaking on Israeli radio in Farsi to an Iranian audience, the Iranian-born Mr Mofaz said that if the need arose to destroy Iran's capability, "the necessary steps will be taken". (more other)
Afghans near pact on presidential power: President Hamid Karzai appeared to be emerging as the main winner on Sunday at a historic meeting to discuss Afghanistan’s constitution as delegates edged towards agreeing his vision for the future. Delegates were continuing discussions on the country’s new draft constitution that looks increasingly likely to back a controversial system of wide-ranging presidential powers.
Khatami: US can't attack Iran, Syria: Iran's President Mohammad Khatami on Monday brushed aside speculation about a likely US attack against Iran and Syria, while he laughed off Israeli defense minister`s revelation about the his country`s plan to destroy Tehran`s nuclear capabilities.
Libya faces UN nuclear checks 'next week': Mohamed El Baradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency - the UN's nuclear watchdog - said that he would lead the first mission himself.
Islamists call for GCC countries' reform: Islamic groups have urged Gulf Arab leaders meeting in Kuwait to introduce drastic political reforms and oppose the presence of US military bases in the region.
World News
Bush World
Africa
Asia
Europe
Mid East
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
12/21 TFR News will resume it's normal news service on Monday! Thank you for your patience and support!

12/20
(This was decided long ago: Rebuilding America's Defenses)

US fire kills three Iraqi police: Three Iraqi policemen, mistakenly taken for guerrillas, were killed overnight by US troops near Salman Pak south of the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, an Iraqi policeman said. "The police had a roadblock on the road linking Kirkuk and Baghdad. An America patrol arrived around 02:00am [local time] and opened fire, taking the police to be guerrillas," Second Lieutenant Salam Zankana said.
Tape said to be of bin Laden deputy warns fighters pursuing Americans at home: An audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden's deputy in al-Qaida, aired on Arab television Friday, warned that the terror group would target Americans "in their homeland" and would drive U.S. forces from
bases in the region.
Terror alerts manufactured? FBI agents say White House scripting 'hysterics' for political effect.
Gulf drug bust linked to Al Qaeda: A boat containing drugs, possibly linked to Al Qaeda, has been seized in the Persian Gulf. US military believes the shipment is linked to terrorist funding. [Under the Victory Act, if you have possesion of reefer you can be charged with supporting terrorism. Hw convenient].
World court to rule on Israel wall: The International Court of Justice has confirmed that it will hear arguments about Israel's construction of a barrier in the West Bank to separate Israelis from Palestinians. The hearings will be held at The Hague in February.
Dean Candidature Will Give Bush Second Term: Former adviser to the Clinton Administration, Dick Morris believes that US President George W Bush is certain to be re-elected if Howard Dean becomes the Democrat candidate.
White House  ''very pleased'' with Sharon policy speech: The White House on Friday modified its appraisal of a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and reacted warmly to his latest prescription for how his country should interact with the Palestinians.
THE RAT TRAP - Part 2: Why the resistance will increase: Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) asset Saddam Hussein is - already was - totally beside the point. Only in the past few months have we learned the extent to which the Saddam system sub-contracted a great deal of decision-making to different Iraqi elite - from tribal sheikhs to businessmen and Sunni and Wahhabi religious leaders. They may originally have been cajoled by Saddam with carrots and sticks to be incorporated into the Ba'athist regime. But now they are totally free to command their own agendas.
We must honour the dead: Thousands of Iraqi civilians have died as a result of the occupation. So why is there no official death toll? Despite the capture of Saddam Hussein, civilian deaths in Iraq may prove to be the true Achilles heel of the US and Britain's intervention. The bodies pile up in morgues around the country, and reliable press and media reports put the total civilian death toll since March 19 as approaching 10,000. More than 2,000 occupation-related deaths have occurred in Baghdad since President Bush announced the "end of major combat" on May 1.
Arresting Children: "Two days ago there was a demonstration after school finished, against the coalition and for Saddam. Yesterday the American army came and surrounded the whole block. They just crashed into the school, 6, 7, 8 into every classroom with their guns. They took the name of every student and matched the names to the photos they got from the day before and then arrested the students. They actually dragged them by their shirts onto the floor and out of the class." More Iraq News
Appeals Court Says Bush Can't Hold U.S. Citizen: The president of the United States does not have the power to detain an American citizen seized on U.S. soil as an enemy combatant, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday, in a serious setback to the bush administration's war on terror.
Racism thrives at Israel's Herzliya conference: Speaking at the third annual Herzliya conference, Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his audience: "It is not the Palestinians who pose a demographic threat, since one day they will benefit from self-determination, but the Israeli-Arab population. The most important thing is maintaining the Jewish majority in the country and improving the economy to encourage more Jews from the Diaspora to immigrate." If the Palestinians in Israel "reach 35 to 40 percent of the Israeli population, Israel will become a state with two nationalities," he said. Palestinians currently represent more than 20 percent of the total population in Israel.
ICRC seeks access to Saddam soon: The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) is awaiting official notification from Washington to visit captured Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Florian Westphal, a press officer at the ICRC, said the procedures for visiting Saddam will begin after the detaining power has informed the Geneva-based humanitarian organisation that they are holding a prisoner of war.
World News  
Bush World
Africa
Asia
Australia
Europe
Mid East
Iraq
Israel
Palestine
North America
Canada
US
South/Central America

12/19
Blast at Shiite party building in Baghdad kills at least one as two US tropps wounded: An explosion rocked a building belonging to Iraq's main Shiite Muslim political group early Friday, killing at least one person and wounding two others, according to witnesses. According to their accounts, the blast hit a residence at a compound of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
Iraq war was unjustified, Putin says: Russian President Vladimir Putin says the US-led war in Iraq was unjustified because it was not authorised by the United Nations Security Council. "The use of force abroad, according to existing international laws, can only be sanctioned by the United Nations. This is the international law," Mr Putin said in an annual live televised question-and-answer session. "Everything that is done without the UN Security Council's sanction cannot be recognised as fair or justified. "I am being as restrained as I can be when I choose these words," he said. The comments came only hours before Mr Putin was due to meet in Moscow with US envoy James Baker, who is trying to convince the international community to write off Iraq's crushing $US120 billion debt.
Iraq contract exclusion only on US spending: The Polish official charged by Washington with running Iraq's economy, Marek Belka, has said no country is excluded from Iraq's reconstruction process.This, despite US restrictions on countries allowed to compete for tenders, he said.
New Saddam photo in prison released by Iraqi newspaper: A historic picture of captured Saddam Hussein with Ahmed Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress was released Thursday by an Iraqi newspaper. Saddam is seen in his prison cell, wearing traditional Arab garb, and forced to sit face to face with a one-time Iraqi exile who long opposed him.
David Kay, Head of WMD team may leave Iraq for "personal and family reasons": The White House has been silent on whether David Kay, head of the thus-far futile search for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, would leave his job. "I would not presume to speak for him," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on Thursday in response to a query. "I would let him speak for himself," he said.
U.S. Reaches Pact With Central American Nations:The United States and four Central American countries reached a so-called free trade agreement (FTA) on Wednesday, a deal critics say will cost U.S. jobs and transfer wealth from the already impoverished Latin nations to U.S. corporations. "Negotiations began last January, and today we have fulfilled that vision with a cutting edge, modern FTA designed to tear down the tariff walls that block trade between the United States and Central America, between friends and neighbours," said U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick.
Israeli army raids Nablus, kills five Palestinians: Israeli forces killed five Palestinians early Thursday in Nablus. The operation, which began Tuesday, is directed at Fatah-Tanzim cells in the West Bank city, which Israel claims are responsible for the most recent attempts to send suicide bombers to carry out attacks inside Israel.